User blog:JohnnyOTGS/JohnnyTalk World~Hygiene in Medieval Europe
Hello everybody and welcome to yet another edition of JohnnyTalk. Today I'm going to talk about "Hygiene in Medieval Europe." If you are one of those people that think that people in Medieval Europe were dirty, filthy, scurvy people? Well, you would be wrong. People back in Medieval Europe actually did try to keep up on their hygiene, though taken it was more difficult than it is today as they didn't have easy or more efficient ways to maintain good hygiene. It is well known in history that people back in Medieval Europe washed their hands and face at least several times a day as most of the people worked very hard and sweat and even got dirty on a regular basis. There were other ways where people back in Medieval Europe tried to maintain good hygiene. Bathing It is a commonly held misconception that bathing in Medieval Europe was only something that the wealthy nobles did. But, this is only half-true. It was the wealthy nobles that had "private baths", and the wealthy nobles would bathe every day as to not disrespect their region they owned. But, the third estate (or the middle class people) also bathed, but there was something called "public baths". Though the third estate didn't bathe every day like the nobles did, but they actually did when the time came. But, as the Bubonic Plague came in the mid 14th century, people began to avoid baths altogether as most believed that the plague can be easily spread by baths (especially public baths). But as the Plague burned out by the end of the 14th century, people began to go to baths again. Public Baths would also take another hit when baths were used not just to bathe, but also engage in intimate relations while submerged in water, and the church has condemned this kind of behavior and with it also condemned the use of public baths, and people stopped going to public baths. It wouldn't be until sometime in the late 19th century when baths would be totally personalized (even with middle class people) Oral Hygiene Oral Hygiene was also more difficult than it is today. But people in Medieval Europe did try to keep up with their oral hygiene. Now, there were dentists in Medieval Europe, but they weren't as complex as they are today. They only pulled out bad teeth from their patients. The bristled toothbrush wasn't invented until 1498 and it was in China, so it would be a while before people in Medieval Europe would properly brush their teeth. Before then, they used wooden objects and sharpen them in a way where they can use them to pick their teeth called a "chew stick" which was the go-to method to maintain good oral hygiene since 3000 BC. For some wealthy nobles at least, they would also take some red wine and use it to slosh and gargle in their mouth to clean their teeth and mouth, and they would also chew on herbs such as mint to freshen their breath, almost like the precursor to mouthwash. Some other...things Even back then, there are times where people had to.......relieve themselves, either dropping fecal matter or discharging uran. However, flushable toilets didn't exist back in Medieval Europe. What they used were called "chamber pots" which can hold all kinds of waste inside, and they are dumped every day. Most towns in Medieval Europe had nearby rivers or quaysides that flowed away from the town. But what about a town that didn't have any rivers or quaysides where you can dump your waste? For some towns, they used the old Roman Aqueduct system *if* they were ever near one. But with towns without a river, the people would just dump their waste right outside of the window. With most towns, this was considered illegal due to the hazards it possesses, so this was usually done at night when most people are sleeping. But this didn't prevent a hapless and unlucky person wondering the streets at night from getting dumped with fecal matter and uran. For some people, taking care of other people's chamber pots was a special privlage. In Great Britain starting around the 16th century, the Brish Monarchy had begun to hire people known as the "Groom of The Stool". This man (it's a "manly" profession) would be responsible for the King's daily trips to relieve himself and was responsible for dropping his pants, waiting until he.....you know, does his business, and then cleaning his anus with a cotton towel and water, and even inspecting the King's waste to make sure the King's health is good. Well, that is it for this edition of JohnnyTalk. Don't forget to check out my Games and Movies wikis too. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out. Category:Blog posts